Good Rappers

1. Nas

Soundtrack | Belly

Nas, born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones on September 14, 1973, is the son of Olu Dara, an unconventional jazz musician. At age nine he was a member of the Devastatin' Seven in the mid-1980s, the fruits of which can be heard on his 1994 debut, "Illmatic," which was released on Columbia/SME later that ...

2. Method Man

Actor | How High

Award-winning actor, producer, musician, and entrepreneur Cliff "Method Man" Smith, has been forging an extraordinary and unparalleled path across all mediums since he first entered the scene 30 years ago.

Smith currently stars as 'Attorney Davis MacLean' opposite Mary J. Blige in the worldwide hit ...

3. Tariq Trotter

Soundtrack | Zoolander 2

As Co-Founder of The Roots, a critically acclaimed solo artist, actor, writer, activist, producer, and creator, Tariq Trotter-aka Black Thought-has quietly affirmed himself as one of the most prolific, prescient, and powerful voices in hip-hop.

Over the course of his career, he has won three GRAMMY®...

4. Jeru the Damaja

Soundtrack | Confidence

Jeru the Damaja is known for Confidence (2003), Mid90s (2018) and Kids (1995).

5. Gang Starr

Soundtrack | Training Day

Gang Starr is known for Training Day (2001), The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) and Fish Tank (2009).

6. Chuck D

Soundtrack | Star Trek Beyond

Both as a solo artist and as the leader of the ground-breaking hip-hop group Public Enemy (which was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013), Chuck D helped pave the way for political, social and culturally conscious hip-hop. Public Enemy's albums remain among the most critically ...

7. Slick Rick

Soundtrack | Face/Off

Born to Jamaican parents in London, on January 14, 1965, Slick Rick, born Ricky Martin Lloyd Walters, is the most successful British-American rapper in music history. Brilliant word play, the effort-less ability to bring life to the stories he rhymed about, dead on pop-culture references and ...

8. Large Professor

Soundtrack | White Men Can't Jump

Large Professor was born on March 21, 1973. He is a composer, known for White Men Can't Jump (1992), Boyz n the Hood (1991) and High School High (1996).

9. RZA

Soundtrack | The Man with the Iron Fists

Robert Fitzgerald Diggs better known by his stage name the RZA, is an American rapper, actor, filmmaker, and record producer. He is the DE factor leader of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, having produced most albums for the group and its respective members. He is a cousin of two other original ...

10. Eminem

Soundtrack | 8 Mile

Eminem was born Marshall Bruce Mathers III in St. Joseph, Missouri, to Deborah R. (Nelson) and Marshall Bruce Mathers, Jr., who were in a band together, Daddy Warbucks. He is of English, as well as some German, Scottish, and Swiss-German, ancestry. Marshall spent his early childhood being shoved ...

11. Yasiin Bey

Soundtrack | The Italian Job

Regarded as one of hip-hop's most introspective and insightful artists, Mos Def has shaped a career that transcends music genres and artistic medium. Taking a cue from the Afrocentric stylings of the Native Tongues crew, which included De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest and Andres ...

12. Talib Kweli

Soundtrack | Superbad

Talib Kweli was born on October 3, 1975 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Superbad (2007), Freedom Writers (2007) and Stick It (2006).

13. Common

Actor | John Wick: Chapter 2

First known as a rapper who became one of the more prominent voices in hip-hop's new millennium renaissance, Common later transitioned into acting. He was born in Chicago, and is the son of educator Dr. Mahalia Ann Hines and Lonnie Lynn, an ABA basketball player turned youth counselor.

On October 6,...

14. Sticky Fingaz

Actor | Flight of the Phoenix

Kirk Jones better known by his stage name Sticky Fingaz, is an American hardcore rapper, record producer, and actor best known as a member of multi-platinum hardcore rap group Onyx. Sticky Fingaz was discovered by Jam Master Jay of Run-D.M.C., who signed Onyx on his label JMJ Records provided that ...

15. Atmosphere

Soundtrack | Transporter 3

Atmosphere is known for Transporter 3 (2008), Bad Biology (2008) and Goodbye World (2013).

16. Tupac Shakur

Actor | Juice

Born in New York City, Tupac grew up primarily in Harlem. In 1984, his family moved to Baltimore, Maryland where he became good friends with Jada Pinkett Smith. His family moved again in 1988 to Oakland, California. His first breakthrough in music came in 1991 as a member of the group Digital ...

17. Eyedea

Soundtrack | Rock the Bells

Eyedea was born on November 9, 1981 in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. He died on October 16, 2010 in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.

18. Percee-P

Soundtrack | Hollywood Homicide

19. André 3000

Actor | Four Brothers

André Lauren Benjamin (born May 27, 1975), better known as André 3000, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is best known for being a part of southern hip hop duo Outkast alongside fellow rapper Big Boi.

Benjamin has also acted in films and television series such ...

20. Big Boi

Soundtrack | Idlewild

Big Boi was born on February 1, 1975 in Savannah, Georgia, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Idlewild (2006), ATL (2006) and xXx: State of the Union (2005). He was previously married to Sherlita Patton.

21. Prodigy

Soundtrack | Bulworth

Prodigy was born on November 2, 1974 in Hempstead, New York, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Bulworth (1998), Any Given Sunday (1999) and 8 Mile (2002). He was married to Ikesha Dudley. He died on June 20, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

22. KRS-One

Soundtrack | The Manchurian Candidate

Lawrence "Kris" Parker better known by his stage names KRS-One (an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper, lyricist and occasional producer from New York. He rose to prominence as part of the hip hop group Boogie Down Productions, which he...

23. Ahmad Lewis

Soundtrack | Tag

24. The GZA

Actor | Coffee and Cigarettes

Gary Earl Grice (born August 22, 1966), better known by his stage names GZA and The Genius, is an American rapper and songwriter. A founding member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, GZA is the group's "spiritual head", being both the first member in the group to receive a record deal and being the...

25. The Pharcyde

Soundtrack | Street Fighter

The Pharcyde is known for Street Fighter (1994), The Gentlemen (2019) and Mid90s (2018).

26. Rakim

Soundtrack | Juice

Universally referenced as one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time, Rakim first exploded onto the New York scene in 1986 with the iconic "Eric B. is President" single and album "Paid In Full." With its unprecedented lyricism and complex rhyme patterns, the release, alongside a carefully ...

27. The Notorious B.I.G.

Soundtrack | Fast X

Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. Biggie Smalls, was born on May 21, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York. He was the son of Jamaican parents, Voletta Wallace, a pre-school teacher, and Selwyn George Latore, a welder and small-time politician. He was raised in the poor Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant. ...

28. Lamont Coleman

Soundtrack | Transporter 3

Lamont Coleman was born on May 30, 1974 in Harlem, New York City, New York, USA. He was a composer and executive, known for Transporter 3 (2008), Mid90s (2018) and Black Mask (1996). He died on February 15, 1999 in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.

29. Mike Skinner

Soundtrack | Notes on a Scandal

Mike Skinner was born on November 27, 1978 in Birmingham, England, UK. He is an actor and composer, known for Notes on a Scandal (2006), The Inbetweeners (2011) and The Football Factory (2004).

30. De La Soul

Soundtrack | Spider-Man: No Way Home

De La Soul is known for Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Spies in Disguise (2019) and The Man (2005).

31. Del the Funky Homosapien

Soundtrack | Money Monster

Cousin of MC-turned-movie-star Ice Cube, Del the Funkeé Homosapien was born Teren Devlon Jones on August 12, 1972, in Oakland, California. Del got his first start with Ice Cube's protégés da Lench Mob, and infused his humorous attitude and lyrics with the groups grim and violent appearance. With ...

32. Redman

Soundtrack | How High

Reginald Noble better known by his stage name Redman, is an American rapper, DJ, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame in the early 1990s as an artist on the Def Jam label. He is well known for his collaborations with his close friend Method Man, as one-half of the rap duo Method Man & Redman...

33. Ice Cube

Soundtrack | Friday

Ice Cube was born in South Central Los Angeles, to Doris (Benjamin), a custodian and hospital clerk, and Hosea Jackson, a UCLA groundskeeper. He first came to public notice as a singer and songwriter with the controversial and influential band N.W.A. His compositions with that group included many ...

34. Ghostface Killah

Soundtrack | Iron Man

Born and raised in the heart of Staten Island, New York, Ghostface Killah, born Dennis Coles, is a very well-known member of Wu-Tang Clan, the celebrated hip-hop group. Emerging from a childhood filled with poverty, he puts his all into his projects and everything he rhymes about basically stems ...

35. Inspectah Deck

Soundtrack | Nerve

Inspectah Deck was born on July 6, 1970 in Bronx, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Nerve (2016), Don't Look Up (2021) and Meet Dave (2008).

36. Shyheim Franklin

Actor | Original Gangstas

Shyheim Franklin was born on November 14, 1977 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Original Gangstas (1996), The Preacher's Wife (1996) and You're Nobody 'til Somebody Kills You (2012).

37. A Tribe Called Quest

Soundtrack | The Wackness

A Tribe Called Quest is known for The Wackness (2008), Tag (2018) and Dope (2015).

38. Jurassic 5

Soundtrack | Hollywood Homicide

Jurassic 5 is known for Hollywood Homicide (2003), Green Zone (2010) and Booksmart (2019).

39. AZ

Soundtrack | Bulworth

One of the numerous thoughtful gangsta rappers to emerge from New York during the mid-'90s, AZ enjoyed critical success early in his career, particularly with his debut album, Doe or Die (1995), but commercial success largely eluded him over the years. Born in Brooklyn, he initially garnered ...

40. Beastie Boys

Soundtrack | Real Steel

Beastie Boys is known for Real Steel (2011), Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Beyond (2016).

41. Melle Mel

Soundtrack | Grosse Pointe Blank

Melvin Glover better known by his stage name Grandmaster Melle Mel (or simply Melle Mel) is an American hip hop recording artist who was the lead vocalist and songwriter of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Glover began performing in the late 1970s. He may have been the first rapper to call ...

42. C.L. Smooth

Soundtrack | Menace II Society

C.L. Smooth was born on October 8, 1968 in New Rochelle, New York, USA. He is a composer and actor, known for Menace II Society (1993), The Night Before (2015) and Poetic Justice (1993).

43. Wu-Tang Clan

Soundtrack | Nerve

Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affiliate Cappadonna later became an official member. Wu-Tang ...

44. EPMD

Soundtrack | Juice

EPMD is known for Juice (1992), Whip It (2009) and Barbershop (2002).

45. Pharoahe Monch

Soundtrack | Training Day

Pharoahe Monch was born on October 31, 1972 in Queens, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Training Day (2001), Charlie's Angels (2000) and Fantastic Four (2005).

46. Andres Titus

Soundtrack | Dope

Andres Titus is known for Dope (2015), Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and Step Up (2006).

47. Lauryn Hill

Soundtrack | Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit

Lauryn Hill, a native of South Orange, New Jersey, first came to attention with the multi-talented Fugees. Their first album, "Blunted On Reality", went virtually unnoticed by the public; their real breakthrough came with the sophomore album, "The Score", which featured "Killing Me Softly". That ...

48. Digable Planets

Soundtrack | Dope

Digable Planets is an American Hip-Hop recording group formed in 1987 and based in Brooklyn, New York. The trio is comprised of Ishmael Butler ("Butter Fly") originally from Seattle, Craig Irving ("Doodlebug") originally from Philadelphia, and Mary Ann Vierra ("Ladybug Mecca") originally from ...

49. Lord Finesse

Soundtrack | Notorious

Lord Finesse is known for Notorious (2009), Trespass (1992) and Who's the Man? (1993).

50. Katy Perry

Actress | The Smurfs

Katy Perry was born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson on October 25, 1984 in Santa Barbara, California to Mary Christine Hudson (née Perry) & Maurice Keith Hudson. She has a big sister named Angela & a little brother named David, and has English, Portuguese, German, Irish, and Scottish ancestry. Her ...